Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 58

Devanagari script

ये जात्यादि महोत्सेकान्न नरेंद्रानुपासते । तेषामामरणं भिक्षा प्रायश्चित्तं विनिर्मितम्

Transliteration

ye jātyādi mahotsekānna nareṃdrānupāsate | teṣāmāmaraṇaṃ bhikṣā prāyaścittaṃ vinirmitam

Translation

ജാതി മുതലായവയുടെ മഹാഗർവത്തിൽ വീർപ്പോടെ രാജാക്കളെ സേവിച്ചു ആദരിക്കാത്തവർക്ക്, മരണം വരെ ഭിക്ഷാടനം ചെയ്യുന്നതാണ് പ്രായശ്ചിത്തമായി നിശ്ചയിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നത്.

Word by Word

• ये: those who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक; पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन (plural) — relative pronoun

• जाति-आदि: caste etc.
• जाति-आदि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jāti (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः—तत्पुरुष (ādi-समास/‘etc.’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (as compound stem used attributively)

• महोत्सेकान्: great arrogances/insolences
• महोत्सेकान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahotsēka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), बहुवचन — object of ‘upāsate’

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negative particle)

• नरेन्द्रान्: kings
• नरेन्द्रान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: narendra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), बहुवचन

• उपासते: worship/serve
• उपासते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: upa-ās (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th case), बहुवचन — genitive

• आ-मरणम्: until death
• आ-मरणम्: Adhikarana (Temporal locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ā + maraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः — ‘until death’ (adverbial)

• भिक्षा: begging/alms
• भिक्षा: Pradhana (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhikṣā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन — predicate nominative

• प्रायश्चित्तम्: expiation
• प्रायश्चित्तम्: Pradhana (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāyaścitta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन — predicate nominative

• विनिर्मितम्: has been prescribed/made
• विनिर्मितम्: Kriya (Predicative participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-nir-√mā (धातु) → vinirmita (कृदन्त)
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; कर्मणि-भावः — ‘has been made/ordained’

Speaker

Śākalya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A stark moral pronouncement: those inflated by birth-pride who refuse to attend kings are assigned the expiation of begging until death.

Characters & Entities

• Śākalya
• narendra (king)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pride rooted in birth-status is condemned; humility and dharmic respect are treated as essential for righteous living.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific site is named in this verse; it presents a moral-legal rule within the māhātmya’s narrative frame.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A penance is prescribed: lifelong alms-begging (bhikṣā) as prāyaścitta for contempt born of arrogance.